The city's proposed FY 2014 budget will reduce by half the evening hours in which Duncan Library remains open to serve working families, students, and many others. The practical effect will be to reduce the evening availability of Duncan's only meeting room to two hours a week. That means many of the ongoing activities valued by the public, such as the book group, the poetry club, and the movie night would need to compete unnecessarily with outside organizations booking the room for programs and meetings. The Del Ray community will also be deprived of valuable time for research projects, job searches, and tutoring sessions.To oppose the threatened reduction and urge the City Council to leave the library budget alone, you can post your comments on the city's budget websitehttp://alexandriava.gov/budget or sign an e-petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/give-back-the-hours. Even better, come to the Duncan Library on any Monday or Wednesday evening during April between the hours of 6 and 9 and sign the petition in person. A Friends volunteer will also provide you with a list of Council Members , their contact information, and where you can register your protest in person.

The next Advocates for Alexandria Aquatics meeting will be on Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 pm at Mount Vernon Recreation Center. The Aquatics Master Plan reviewed at the City Council's workshop will be reviewed and next steps will be discussed regarding the City budget vote in May.

In the meantime, please consider sending an e-mail to City Council supporting the funding for Aquatics! Google "Mayor and City Council, Alexandria, VA" and click on the link to an e-mail to all Council members.

The City’s Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES), Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ) and Solid Waste Division, in conjunction with the Alice Ferguson Foundation, is hosting sites in Alexandria at Four Mile Run Park. Families, scouts, students, retirees, and thousands of other concerned citizens will hit the shorelines, neighborhood parks, community streets, and schoolyards of the region to clean up local streams in the Potomac River Watershed.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation created the watershed-wide cleanup in 1989 and has overseen the collection of well over 5 million pounds of trash.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Del Ray Montessori School will be offering a 6-week parenting class forparents and their child beginning on Saturday, April 6th. This class willoffer parents valuable insight into child development and the amazinggrowth of their own child as parent(s) and child interact in a classroomwith developmentally appropriate materials. Parents will receive ideasabout activities to engage in with their child and tips for ways tointeract and enjoy their unique child. Each class will include one-on-onetime for parents to interact with their child as well as amini-lecture/discussion. Topics will include language development,movement development, setting limits, independence, and more. The classwill become a small community where parents can share questions and receivesupport while discussing child development from a Montessori perspective.Jenny Wyrick, AMI Montessori-trained educator and parent, will lead theclass.****

This session of the Montessori parent/child class will be geared tochildren who are walking well (approximately 14  16 months) through age 2½ (30 months) and their parents. This 6-week session will begin onApril 6th andend on May 11th. The class will meet on Saturday mornings from 9:00-10:30am at The Del Ray Montessori School located in the Del Ray United MethodistChurch on E. Windsor Ave. The cost is $150.00 per parent-child pair.Please contact Sarah Fondriest at sarah@thedelraymontessorischool.com toregister. We look forward to welcoming you to the little school aroundthe corner.

The Howard Hughes Corporation, which owns the central section of the Landmark Mall site, has submitted plans to the City of Alexandria for redevelopment of the portion of Landmark Mall between the existing Sears and Macy’s stores.

The City and the Howard Hughes Corporation want to engage the community in a dialogue about the proposed project, beginning with a public meeting to discuss the plans on Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m. The public meeting will be held at Landmark Mall in the community room on Level 2, near Bath and Body Works.

The proposal calls for demolition of the two-story central area of the mall and replacement of this portion with a mixed-use residential and retail complex with a traditional street grid, sidewalks, trees, and open space. This application calls for approximately 250,000 to 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, along with approximately 350 to 400 apartments.

Howard Hughes Corporation has been working in conjunction with adjoining property owners, Sears and Macy’s, to explore the feasibility of a redevelopment of Landmark Mall for a possible mixed-use project that would include retail, restaurants and a residential component. There have been conversations with City staff to ensure any proposed redevelopment will be consistent with the 2008 Landmark/Van Dorn Corridor Plan. Howard Hughes Corporation has submitted a formal application to begin a regulatory review.

For more information about this proposal, please come to the public meeting on April 8 or call Colleen Willger in the City Department of Planning & Zoning at 703.746.3817.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, e-mailcolleen.willger@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3817, Virginia Relay 711.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time to focus on a vast, and often unseen, problem. Excessive alcohol use accounted for an estimated average of 80,000 deaths and 2.3 million years of potential life lost in the U.S. each year during 2001-2005, and the economic costs of alcohol abuse in the United States are estimated to be approximately $185 billion annually.

Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that alcohol is a problem across all demographics, including children: approximately 20 percent of 8th graders, 35 percent of 10th graders, and 48 percent of 12th graders report having consumed alcohol during the past month.

Perons who drink alcohol are encouraged to take advantage of an anonymous, alcohol self-assessment. Whether it’s you, a family member, or a friend, the few minutes it takes to complete the assessment is time well spent.

Three Ways to Safeguard Children During National Child Abuse Prevention Month

This April, in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the City of Alexandria is offering free child abuse prevention activities sponsored by the Center for Alexandria’s Children, the Department of Community and Human Services, the Alexandria Police Department and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office.

City staff will provide families with SafeAssured child ID kits on three Saturdays: April 6 at Cora Kelley Recreation Center, April 13 at William Ramsay Recreation Center and April 27 at Charles Houston Recreation Center, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. SafeAssured kits provide families with information needed by law enforcement and media to broadcast information unique to a missing child.

The Center for Alexandria’s Children will offer free training in Stewards of Children, a program that teaches parents and caregivers to prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse. Trainings are scheduled Friday, April 19, and Tuesday, April 30, from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. at 1900 N. Beauregard St., Suite 200. On-site childcare and pizza for the kids provided. Register at: http://cacstewardsofchildrentraining.eventbrite.com/

The popular playgroup program for children ages 0-5 will be expanded to a playgroup a day during April. Playgroups focus on learning through play, and the key role parents play in their child’s development. Visit http://centerforalexandriaschildren.org/ for a list of playgroups.

Last year, 49,619 children in Virginia were reported as possible victims of abuse and/or neglect. Of them, 6,116 cases were founded. Thirty Virginia children died from abuse, and 26 were under age 4. “National tragedies such as Sandy Hook and the Penn State scandal remind us of our children’s vulnerability,” Center for Alexandria’s Children Executive Director Giselle Pelaez said. “We can stop child abuse and neglect by educating our community in ways to keep our children safe, teaching children important safety tips and helping parents and caregivers create conversations with their children.”

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, e-mail Maurice Tomdio atmaurice.tomdio@alexandriava.gov or call 571.384.5244.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

April is Sexual Assault Awareness MonthThroughout April, the Sexual Assault Center of the Department of Community & Human Services will recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month. There will be several activities going on around the City:

Come to the Sexual Assault Center Open House on April 2 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at 421 King Street, Suite 400, and decorate jeans for the Messages of Hope Campaign to encourage those who are survivors of sexual violence and to build awareness of sexual violence. Jean donations are requested through April 2 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Clothesline Project, a display of t-shirts made by survivors that bears witness to the violence they have experienced, will be on display April 15 – 19 at City Hall (301 King St.).

Spanish Language Safety and Prevention Forum for the Hispanic Community April 30 from 7-9 p.m. – A panel discussion on services and information for the Hispanic community at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, 845 N. Howard Street.

Denim Day – On April 24, wear jeans to work, school or around town as a visible means of protest against myths that surround rape and sexual assault. For more information on national denim day, go to denimdayusa.org/.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, e-mail Maurice Tomdio atmaurice.tomdio@alexandriava.gov or call 571.384.5244. #

Monday, March 25, 2013

YOU ARE INVITED TO INFORMATION NIGHT AT BEVERLEY HILLS CHURCH PRESCHOOL TO LEARN ABOUT THE EXCITING NEW PLAY SPACE COMING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR - TUESDAY, APRIL 16TH, 730pm- 9pm

Please be our guest on Tuesday, April 16th when we will share information about Beverley Hills Church Preschool's dynamic new "natural" play space coming late this SUMMER 2013! Curious about the design, the concept of "naturalistic play environments," construction timelines, neighborhood use, or how you can be involved in creating Alexandria&#39;s first natural playground project? Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 16th at 7:30PM for an Information Night in the "Big Room" at BHCP. (Enter through the playground and follow the sidewalk to the back entry). We will have door prizes at the end of the presentation - you must be present to win! Can't come but want to know more? Visit the preschool's website to take a peek at the play space plan and read updates.www.bhcpnet.org/playground or email us at bhcpplayground@gmail.com with your questions. See you on April 16th!

BEVERLEY HILLS CHURCH PRESCHOOL IS BUILDING A NEW PLAYGROUND AND WE WANT TO INVITE OUR FRIENDS IN THE COMMUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS EXCITING FUTURE! We all love the "Castle Park" which was built by the community in 1984, but it is at the end of its useful life and we are going to replace it with something even more phenomenal. Our new naturalized play space will contain features sure to delight and inspire children and families for years to come, just as our current playground has for the last three decades. We are moving into the next stage of the BHCP play space. Just as the community rallied for support in 1984, we are excited that there will be another opportunity to support the creation of an amazing new natural space for the children in our community.

If you've ever climbed trees, made forts, climbed rocks, made mud pies, dammed up water, dug in sand, jumped in leaves or had fun outside in other similar ways, you've experienced natural play. A great play space helps create timeless and meaningful experiences for the children of our community. Many friends in the neighborhood have asked how they can help support our efforts -- and to many of you who have already donated, THANK YOU for your help! Contributions of any amount will make a difference. Another way to give is through our Engraved Brick Program. With a gift of $100 or more, a brick may be engraved and will be located in the brick patio at the entrance to the new play space. Your child or family name can be engraved on a brick that will become a part of the new playground landscape. Each 4 x 8 brick allows for three lines of 20 characters each (including spaces, commas, etc.).

To donate, order a brick, or to learn more about the play space coming to the Beverley Hills Church Community in August 2013, please visit: www.bhcpnet.org/playground.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Announcing the spring openings for two new locations in Alexandria of Music Together Alexandria!

Music Together classes for babies - 4 year olds, and the adults who love them, is expanding to Convergence, 1801 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, 22302 on Saturdays for the spring season. Since Chinquapin Rec Center is closing for renovations, there will also be classes on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings at Ramsay Rec Center, Sanger Ave.

Please go to www.musictogetheralexandria.com for registration information. Don't miss out on these fun interactive classes with your young children.